Purpose: To show the dangers of idolatry.
Aim: I want the listener to commit to learning more about God by studying God’s names as a cure for idolatry.
INTRODUCTION: Starting next Sunday morning I intend for us to begin a journey together exploring 25 of the most common names for God in the Old Testament. This could be one of the most important studies we have ever done together. After all, David prayed to God and said, Let Your name be established and magnified forever... (1 Chronicles 17:24 NAS)
Why should we spend so much time learning about the names of God? Our biggest danger is making up our own God, which the Bible calls idolatry, and the names of God teach us who God is and what He is like.
Do we have a problem with idolatry today? First we must ask,
I. What is Idolatry?
Idolatry can be practiced two different ways:
A. There is formal idolatry
"An idol is a substitute or false god taking the place of the true." William MacDonald [1]
The Jews in the OT were constantly tempted to worship false gods even though God clearly said: Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me. (NAS)
Deuteronomy 16:22 You shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which the LORD your God hates. (NAS) Deuteronomy 7:25 "The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. (NAS)
Many religious still have statues to bow before and relics to kiss, but there is an even more subtle form of idolatry. [Picture of Pope bowing to the Virgin Mary]
Have you ever heard someone say: "It makes no difference what a man believes about God as long as he is sincere!"? As long as someone’s worship is sincere, isn’t that good enough? Is that true?
Think about it this way. Does it make any difference what a doctor believes about medical procedures, or what a pharmacist believes about different medicines, or what a chemist believes about chemicals? It makes all the difference in the world!
Shed a tear for Jimmy Brown;
Poor Jimmy is no more.
For what he thought was H2O [water]
Was H2SO4! [Sulfuric acid] [2]
Notice how Solomon explained it, Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (NAS)
I have had many people tell me something like this, "There is only one God so it doesn’t matter which church you go to. We are all worshiping the same God." I have heard this argument from Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims. Is that true that since these major religions all believe in only one God (instead of many gods) they are all worshiping the same God?
Jesus Himself warned us that there would be false followers of Christ. For many will come in My name, saying, ’I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. (Matthew 24:5 NAS)
Look at 1 John 5:20-21 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols. (NAS) Three times in verse 20 John tells us to pursue what is true about God, so there must be a lot of false teaching about God.
"The Greek word for ’idol,’ eidōlon, in classical Greek has the meaning of ’shadow’ or ’phantom.’ John now hurls at his readers one final challenge. Do not set your affection upon shadows and phantoms. [3]
Idols are very serious threats because they look so much like the real thing. The most dangerous poison is the one in an ordinary drinking glass.
"As we have seen, the word ’[TRUE]’ means ’the original as opposed to a copy’ and ’the authentic as opposed to an imitation.’ Jesus Christ is the true Light (John 1:9), and true Bread (John 6:32), and true Vine (John 15:1), and Truth itself (John 14:6). He is the Original; everything else is a copy. He is authentic; everything else is only an imitation." [4]
B. There is informal idolatry
"We consider idolatry a sin most often seen in other cultures; but in fact, idolatry is all around us. On magazine stands we see idols of our culture. [ American Idol picture] One popular TV show names the next "American Idol," and many lives here today are plagued with the worship of possessions. The other day I saw a Hollywood awards show, and I noticed how similar the presentations were to what I’d envision for an idol--little golden statues [Picture of an Oscar statue] that dominate one’s life and career." [5]
"What other gods could we have besides the Lord? Plenty. For Israel there were the Canaanite Baals, those jolly nature gods whose worship was a rampage of gluttony, drunkenness, and ritual prostitution. For us there are still the great gods Sex, Shekels, and Stomach (an unholy trinity constituting one god: self), and the other enslaving trio, Pleasure, Possessions, and Position, whose worship is described as "The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). Football, the Firm, and Family are also gods for some. Indeed the list of other gods is endless...." [6]
"Idolatry: Trusting people, possessions, or positions to do for me what only God can do." -Bill Gothard [7]
"Christians do not simply choose between good and bad; they choose between true and false. An idol represents that which is false and empty; and a person who lives for idols will himself become false and empty." [8]
This is why Paul warned us in Colossians 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, [any sexual sin] impurity,[evil intentions] passion, [physical lust] evil desire,[evil thoughts] and greed,[a driving desire to gain more] which amounts to idolatry. (NAS)
"In The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen retells a tale from ancient India: Four royal brothers decided each to master a special ability. Time went by, and the brothers met to reveal what they had learned.
’I have mastered a science,’ said the first, ’by which I can take but a bone of some creature and create the flesh that goes with it.’
’I,’ said the second ’know how to grow that creature’s skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones.’
The third said, ’I am able to create its limbs if I have flesh, the skin, and the hair.’
’And I,’ concluded the fourth, ’know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete.’
Thereupon the brothers went into the jungle to find a bone so they could demonstrate their specialties. As fate would have it, the bone they found was a lion’s. One added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life.
Shaking its mane, the ferocious beast arose and jumped on his creators. He killed them all and vanished contentedly into the jungle.
We too have the capacity to create what can devour us. Goals and dreams can consume us. Possessions and property can turn and destroy us--unless we first seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, and [only worship God as He has revealed Himself to us]." - Nathan Castens [9]
II. What is the Solution to Idolatry?
A. Discover the names of God
Psalm 86:11--12 Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever. (NAS)
It takes effort to focus on God. 2 Corinthians 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, (NAS)
Ignorance of who God is brings God’s judgment. Hosea 4:1 Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land. (NAS)
We will never stop learning about our God. Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (NAS)
B. Learn to love the names of God
Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You. (NAS)
Psalm 89:16 In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted. (NAS)
Psalm 61:8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, that I may pay my vows day by day. (NAS)
Nehemiah 1:11 "O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man." ... (NAS)
C. Lean on the names of God
Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. (NAS)
Psalm 33:21 For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. (NAS)
2 Chronicles 14:11 "LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You." (NAS)
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe. (NAS)
Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. (NAS)
D. Proclaim the names of God to others
Psalm 145:1 I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. (NAS)
We should proclaim God’s name to those around us.
Isaiah 12:3--4 Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation. And in that day you will say, "Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted." (NAS)
2 Samuel 22:50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Your name. (NAS)
We should also proclaim God’s name to other Christians.
Our worship is an opportunity to remind each other how great our God is. Psalm 22:22 I will tell of Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. (NAS)
This is what they did in the OT: Numbers 6:22--27 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ’Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ "So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them." (NAS)
CONCLUSION: The more we focus on the names of God the more God is pleased: Hosea 6:6 For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (NAS) Colossians 1:9--10 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; (NAS)
Not only is God pleased when we are getting to know Him better, we also benefit from more peace and grace in our everyday lives. 2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; (NAS)
Charles Spurgeon said, "The knowledge of God is also the great hope of sinners. O child of earth, if you knew him better, you would fly to him! If you understood how gracious he is, you would seek him. If you could have any idea of his holiness, you would loathe your self righteousness. If you knew anything of his power, you would not venture to contend with him. If you knew anything of his grace, you would not hesitate to yield yourself to him.
The more God reveals himself to you, and the more you know of God, the more are you in the way of hope and mercy." [10]
What will you do this week so that by next Sunday you will know God better?
[1]William MacDonald and Arthur Farstad, Believer’s Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments, 1 Jn 5:20 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997).
[2]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Jn 5:20 (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996).
[3]Earl F. Palmer and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, vol. 35, The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 35 : 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation, The Preacher’s Commentary series, 75 (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982).
[4]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Jn 5:20 (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996).
[5]Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s annual preacher’s sourcebook.; 2006 Edition, 120 (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers).
[6]Your Father Loves You by James Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986, page for April 17 Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002).
[7]Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002).
[8]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Jn 5:20 (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996).
[9]Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002).
[10]“God’s Glorious And Everlasting Name” by Charles Spurgeon Vol. 7 Page 412
